Michigan-based Stepdad have just released a poppy new EP entitled Strange Tonight. This catchy as hell four-track EP also packs a punch, in true Stepdad form. An underground fan favorite since 2009, the band has toured with the likes of Fitz & The Tantrums, Reptar, Passion Pit, and are vets of the Vans Warped Tour. They also make frankly delightful videos. Check out the EP below and let us know your thoughts. (more…)

As her career quickly barrels toward the decade mark, Rihanna will wake up this morning with yet another title to add to her ever-growing list of achievements.

According to a new article released by Billboard, this month Rihanna surpassed Justin Bieber to become the most viewed artist of all time on YouTube. As of today, the total views on her official VEVO channel containing 77 videos have surpassed 3.784 billion beating out the total view count of the 79 videos on Justin Bieber’s official VEVO channel by about two million views. RiRi also has 8.73 million subscribers on YouTube, 3.7 million more than Bieber’s 4.9 million.

Don’t for a second think this accolade is going to slow Riri’s continued push toward total pop domination. Though she’s still recovering from a spring filled with touring, the latest we’ve been told is that new material is already in the works. Stay tuned for updates in the weeks ahead.

Though critics were not feeling it, fans of Psy are proving they have just as much love for the singer’s latest material as last year’s “Gangnam Style” by helping the song smash yet another YouTube record.

If you recall, last week Psy’s latest broke the record for most views in a single day. It still had a long way to go before reaching the one billion play heights of “Gangnam,” but it was a better start than anything else had ever gotten in the history of the internet. We reported on the event, then moved on as we thought most of the world did.

We were wrong.

News coming from YouTube HQ today shows “Gentleman” has done everything but lose popularity in the time since we last reported on it. In fact, the video has just set another record by having been viewed 215 million times in the 10 days since its release. By comparison, it took “Gangnam Style” 50 days to reach the 100 million mark.

Where “Gentleman” goes from here is anyone’s guess. It is certainly climbing in plays fast, but can the popularity last long enough to cross the billion mark? We’ll have to wait and see.

Fun fact: Not every country loves Psy. The video for “Gentleman” was banned by a South Korean broadcaster last week because of its depiction of “the abuse of public property. (more…)

New England folk rockers The Tower And The Foolhave gone through a few lineup changes since their formation a few years ago. They originally started as an acoustic duo-fronted band, but have now downsized to a more electric 4-piece with Alex Correia as the one remaining frontman. Click here to check out their new song called “Let It Ride” from their live performance at Great Scott in Allston, MA last week.

Correia used to be the frontman for Boston post-hardcore band Therefore I Am before they broke up in 2010. The band will be coming together again for the first time in 2 years for two “end of the world” reunion shows tomorrow night and Saturday night at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA. The first show is sold out, but tickets are still available for the second one. Click here to buy them online.

If you like The Tower And The Fool, then check out OurStage artist Mieka Pauley.

In case you missed it last week, Nirvanareunited and Paul McCartney is the new Kurt Cobain… Okay, maybe not quite, but Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic did perform together for the first time in 20 years, joined by Pat Smear on guitar and Macca on vocals. The group had been jamming together just for fun and ended up writing a song called “Cut Me Some Slack,” which they premiered at last week’s 12/12/12 Hurricane Sandy benefit concert at Madison Square Garden. Apparently the song was also written and recorded for the soundtrack of Grohl’s Sound City documentary. I have to admit, it’s not the most impressive work by these musicians. Listen to it below and see what you think:

Last month we held a competition offering OurStage artists a chance to open for multiple dates of the “Rock Yourself To Sleep” tour with Dance Gavin Dance, A Lot Like Birds, I The Mighty, Hail The Sun, and The Orphan, The Poet. Judging from the following video, it looks like the tour was a blast. A Lot Like Birds seem to have taken the theme of the tour pretty seriously, ending their set on the last date with an all out mosh pit pillow fight on stage and in the crowd. Check out the comfy carnage below:

After almost 2 years of waiting, we can finally prepare for Foo Fightersfrontman Dave Grohl‘s debut documentary Sound City. The film, based around the history and significance of Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, California, is set to premier at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, which starts on Jan. 17. The official release date will be some time in February.

For those of you who have been following the production, you may have watched plenty of clips, but now witness the official trailer right here.

The indie pop twins are at it again. Canadian sisters Tegan and Sara have released the official music video for their single “Closer,” off their upcoming album Heartthrob. The song is much more dancey and poppy than their previously released material, so if you didn’t get a chance to listen when we posted it in September, be prepared to have it stuck in your head for the rest of the day. The video itself is just as fun and lighthearted as the song, with the two singers performing karaoke to a VHS recording of their own single, while various straight, gay, and lesbian couples make out at a crazy hipster dance party. Heartthrob is due out January 29th, 2013 in the U.S. and February 11, 2013 in Europe. In the meantime, check out the new “Closer” video below:

If you like Tegan and Sara, then you might also like OurStage artists Vic And Gab.

It’s been about 3 years since their debut EP Stick Up Kids took the Boston music scene by storm, followed by the rest of the nation, so the anticipation for Bad Rabbits‘ new material is practically boiling at this point. Finally, the eclectic hip-hop/R&B/rock group are starting to reveal what they’ve had up their sleeve this whole time. From their upcoming EP American Love comes the video premier for their first of many singles, “We Can Roll,” a hardcore breakdown-influenced headbanger with an instantly classic shout-along chorus. Check it out below.

This past Friday, No Doubtreleased a music video for their newest single “Looking Hot” off their latest album Push And Shove, but it was immediately removed after being criticized for offending the Native American community.

According to Billboard, the video features Gwen Stefani in a “Halloween-ready Native American costume, while bassist Tony Kanal is [a] tribesman who helps the singer escape from her cowboy captors, played by Adrian Young and Tom Dumont.” Due to a large negative response from YouTube users, the band decided to pull the video, releasing an apology on their website. Whether or not a remake is in store has yet to be determined.

If you like No Doubt, then you might also like OurStage’s own The Worsties.